They walked up the stairs in silence, Jay wondering if this little kid was who he thought he was. Suddenly, he felt something tugging on his jeans. He looked down and he saw the little boy holding onto him.

"My name is Oli. What's your name?" he asked politely with a cute smile.

"Oh. Um. I'm Jay." he smiled back and ruffled his hair.

"Are you friends with mommy?"

"Yeah, I am." he smiled and looked at Erin. She smiled back. At that moment, it felt like those years apart never happened.

"Look, Jay, this is where me and mommy live!" he said when they reached their apartment number 18.

When Erin unlocked the door and let them all in, Oli was the first one to take his shoes down and then he ran down the small hall, towards the kitchen.

"Mommy, come on. You said we'll make a cake."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." she chuckled.

"What's the occasion?" Jay asked. He assumed it was something pretty important since Oli was so excited.

"It's my birthday! I am this old now." Oli said proudly and showed him four fingers, just like he did this morning.

"Wow, that's big. Happy birthday." Jay smiled down to him. "So I guess we'll talk later?" he turned to Erin.

"I'm so sorry but I promised him and..." she started but was interrupted by him.

"I've got an idea," he lowered down to Oli's level, "What if I take you to the mall and you can pick your birthday present, since I haven't brought anything for you. And your mommy can make the cake and when we're back, we can eat it together." he smiled to Oli. He liked kids and he'd love to make him happy and take the stress off Erin for a while.

"So that means I get a present from mommy and a present from you?" Oli said. He couldn't believe it.

"Sounds good to me." Erin said and smiled at her son's excitement. She was really happy that Oli wasn't too shy around new people. And she was really happy that Jay understood this was Oli's day and that their talk could wait. But she also knew that he deserved to know.

"So, what kind of stuff do you like?" Jay asked as they parked Erin's car and walked across the parking lot towards the mall.

"Um, I really like books. We read them every night with mommy. And I like plush animals. And I really really like Nemo!" he smiled to Jay.

"Okay. I'm sure we'll find something for you." he chuckled.

They found a huge toy store and Oli was so amazed by everything that he couldn't pick only one thing. He was running from shelf to shelf to take everything in.

Jay was mostly thinking about the possibilities that Oli was his kid, so he did a little math. When was the last time he and Erin were together? He couldn't exactly remember, but he knew that he walked out on her on March 17th. He knew because that was the day he disappointed himself and her, and hurt both of them as well. That day was his biggest mistake. Oli's birthday was on November 18th, so tehnically, Oli could be his. Except... He didn't want to think about it, but it was a possibility, that's for sure. Erin could've been with someone else after he left. It didn't sound like Erin at all, but you never know.

They ended up walking out the store, Jay with a Peter Pan book in his hands, Oli carrying a big plush whale shark Destiny from Finding Dory, that was almost bigger than he was. It looked kinda funny.

"Let me help you with that." Jay chuckled and Oli handed the toy to him.

"I just really really love it. Thank you." he smiled thankfully.

"No problem, buddy." Jay smiled back. He was so glad he made him happy.

...

Erin was just washing her hands when she heard the door open. a few seconds later, Oli came running in with a big stuffed fish in his arms.

"Mommy, mommy! Look what Jay bought for me!"

"Oh my god!" she wanted to be fake surprised but she actually was so it came out a little weird and Jay chuckled at her when he came in after Oli.

"Jay, you wouldn't have to buy him that. I thought that you're gonna get something like ... a little car toy and a chocolate bar, I don't know."

"We got a new story book, too!" Oli said with a big smile.

"Jay." Erin gave him a serious look.

"C'mon, let the kid be happy, it's his birthday for god's sake." he smiled and winked at Oli. "The cake done yet?" he changed the subject.

"Yup." she answered.

When they were done eating, it was Oli's time for bed. He didn't seem very happy about it.

"No. I want to stay up with you."

"Come on, let's go." Erin said and didn't wait for his opinion on her decision, but just scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom.

Jay decided that in the meantime, he'll clean up the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher.

Erin came back around 15 minutes later. "He was so tired that he didn't even ask for a story. He told me it was 'really really nice' with you." she chuckled and flopped down on the couch.

He smirked back.

"Wanna talk now?" she offered.

"Yeah." he went and sat down next to her.

"So, um," she started, "I really don't know where to start. But I know what you've probably been wondering since we picked Oli up at school. And, um ... " she swallowed and looked into his eyes, "Jay, he's yours." and then a tear rolled down her cheek.

Jay wasn't feeling ... disappointed. Or sad. Or awful. Not at all. What was that feeling called?

"Jay I'm so sorry." she whispered between her quiet sobs.

"For what?" he frowned.

"I don't know. For having him without letting you know. Maybe you wouldn't want a kid, that's why I didn't tell you. I know you had a lot going on that time and ..."

"What? Erin, how could I not want a kid with you?"

"We weren't even together anymore when I found out, Jay. Maybe you just wouldn't." she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Hey, don't cry." he said softly and gently rubbed her back.

"You're not mad at me?" she was surprised.

"You know, we both did things we regret now. I walked out on you, I have no right to blame you for keeping Oli away from me."

She looked away, just like she was trying to escape the pain in his eyes. "But you had-"

"That's not an excuse." he stopped her.

After a few seconds of silence, Erin was the first one to speak. "We screwed up, didn't we?" she whispered.

"Big time." he replied. "But it's never to late to try to fix things." he offered her a weak smile. He rubbed her thigh and stood up "I'm gonna go take a shower."

She flinched at the contact and he noticed.

"I'm sorry about that." he said.

She just shook her head and bit her lip "Don't worry about it." she said with a little smile playing on her lips.

When he got back, she was already asleep on the couch. He put one hand under her back and one under her knees and carried her to her bedroom. He layed her down on the bed as gently as he could, trying not to wake her up. He covered her up and tiptoed back to the door. Before he closed it, he looked at her one more time. Damn, he missed this view for the past few years so much.

I hope you like it. Please review and yes, the chapter titles are song titles

Fast Cars by Bon Jovi

Still Breathing by Green Day

And Follow You by Bring Me The Horizon